West Indian Pastries with a Light Touch

There are Jamaican patties and then there are Haitian patties. The former are the meat-in-dough pockets you'll find in Flatbush or Richmond Hill or even at the corner pizzeria, and they can be delicious. The latter are a very different animal, their crisp shells more puff pastry than empanada; "beef croissants," as bolletje describes them.

The newish Church Avenue Bakery makes a terrific one, uncommonly light and delicate. Its salt cod patties "were not greasy at all," bolletje says, "and the filling was delicate, delicious and not too salty." Other fillings include beef, chicken, and spinach. Codfish bakes, too often oily and leaden, are also exemplary here, with a fresh, flavorful filling. (Church Avenue Bakery is next door to Ram's Roti Shop, a longtime Trinidadian favorite of hounds, suggesting the possibility of a rewarding West Indian chow crawl.)

Westminstress likes this shop's patties for their filling-to-crust ratio but gives the edge to another Haitian spot, Immaculee Bakery, for crisper pastry and zestier fillings.

Church Avenue Bakery [Flatbush]
1917 Church Avenue (between St. Paul Place and Ocean Avenue), Brooklyn
718-282-2456